The present invention relates generally to climbing wall assemblies and particularly to climbing wall assemblies that are utilized for educational and recreational purposes. More particularly, this invention relates to climbing wall assemblies comprised of wall panels having exterior surfaces adapted for use with removable educational elements.
The rock climbing and bouldering sports are becoming increasingly popular activities. As a result, artificial climbing and bouldering walls are increasingly being used for training purposes by climbers. The climbing wall assemblies of the present invention are provided to introduce children into the climbing sports in a safe and educational manner.
The climbing wall assemblies of the invention are constructed and arranged for educational climbing wall activities. The climbing wall assemblies are comprised of versatile, cooperating elements which provide the ability to create a plurality of climbing routes to be used by climbers. The elements may be easily changed and adjusted to provide a variety of educational climbing activities. The climbing wall assemblies of the invention are economical to manufacture, easy to install and are versatile in use.
The climbing wall assemblies of the invention are comprised of wall panels and wall plates and hand holds that are mounted to the wall panels. The wall panels are constructed and arranged to be mounted to a load bearing structure such as a wall of a building or a free standing structure, for example. The climbing wall assemblies may include adjoining writing board wall panels having smooth surfaces, i.e., a “chalkboard” or a “white board”, including those having metallic and magnetic properties for receiving erasable markings. Alternatively, the climbing wall assemblies may include adjoining molded wall panels having metallic surface properties for use with magnetic, educational elements. The climbing wall assembly may also incorporate the use of wall plates and hand holds which preferably are molded of a plastic composition and which may incorporate metallic particles for use with magnetic educational elements. The wall panels, wall plates and hand holds are all constructed and arranged to provide a versatile and adjustable climbing wall assembly that permits a plurality of climbing routes to be created and which allows markings to be made on the wall panels and magnetic or metallic pieces to be easily placed and moved by climbers for recreational and educational purposes.
Although the prior art teaches the use of wall structures and hand holds that are used for climbing purposes and other prior art discloses the use of magnetic elements with respect to hand holds, these prior art devices are restricted and limited in use and do not disclose or suggest the climbing wall assembly and components of the present invention. The combination of the molded wall panels, hold or wall plates and hand and foot hold structures having markable and erasable surfaces and/or surfaces with metallic or magnetic properties for use with magnetic or metallic elements are not disclosed in the prior art. A need exists in the wall climbing art for such climbing wall assemblies.
The object of the present invention is to provide a climbing wall assembly that is versatile and permits numerous climbing routes to be created and utilized for educational purposes.